Road map



Aug. 7, 1928.

A. BLANcAFoRT ROAD MAP Filed Dec. 18, 1926 2 Sheets-Sheet l T0 D0 M/dlbm'y i )i Clinton, SnnduskY Vermulllon Elyrm www Aug. 7, 1928..

A. BLANCAFORT ROAD MAP Filed Dec. 18, 1926 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Aug. 7, 1928.

STATES PATENT OFFICE..`

.ANTONIO BLANCAFORT, OIF LA GARRIGA, BARCELONA, SPAIN,

ROAD MAJ?.

c ,Y Application med December 18, 1926. Serial No. 155,623.

This invention relates, to road maps and morelparticularly to that typev which are desi uned to automatically indicate the location of? a vehicle upon which they are employed.

Ordinarily, form Voi'A V`a strip `which road maps of this type are 1n the is automatically unwound from one roll andV taken up by another roll 'but suchdevices present the disadvantage that only apartof the itinerary' 1s shown and itis impossible for the assenger o determine how, aruhe is require to travel to reach'a certam city, town, or the like, un-

less he consults another tinct map. Therefore, maps is therefore,

independent and disthe usefulness ofv such liv ited.` The `present.,invention, has as its primary ob]ect to provide a map` ofllthe general class mentioned which will prese t the advantage that it will display to view a complete itinerary of. a given route, lin combnat on ,with an automatically moving-19d n location of't the vehicle, ing the tion at passed andtheplaces icator member which indicates the so that one consultmap is not only apprised oflhislocathe time but also the places he has toward which he is traveling, inthe order in which they will be reached.

construct the in Another object of the invention is to so icating map that. 1tA maybe readilyf and quickly reset so as to serve its purpose on the return trip.

Another objectfof the invention is so construct vthe mep that any number of route strips ,may be `substituted one for another in, nrmoments time and disarrangement ofl the the device.

without any material component parts Yof Another object of the invention is to so construct the device certainty and will not that it will operate with be liable toany disarrangenient of its parts.

- A nother object yoil"Y the invention j tol so construct the device `th at if one shouldbranch oft from some dicatine pointer may town or city and, aftcr returning thereto, resume the journey, them be immediatelyY and CQnveniently reset to its proper place. In the accompanyingr drawings:

Figure l is arplan v1 bodying the invention.

evv of the device eln- Figures 2 and 2 are associated views i1- lustrating the device with the map strip removed so as to disclose the operating mechanism for automatically adjusting the indicating pointer.

f-Figure 3 is a vertical transverse sectional view taken substantially on the line 3-3 of Figure 2, looking in the Vdirection indicated by the arrows.

Figure 4 is a vertical sectional view taken substantially on the line 4-4 of Figure 2, lookingr in the direction indicated by the arrows.

The device embodying the invention oomprises an oblong rectangular casing 1 including a bottom 2, side walls 3, and end Walls 4 and 5, and a rectangular frame is adapted to the open side of the casing and confines the margins of a pane 7 of glass or other transparent material through which the route strip, which is indicated by the numeral 8, may be viewed, this sheet or strip being' disposed Within the said open side of the casing with its margins resting upon shoulders 9 provided upon the inner sides of the side and end walls of the casing. The map strip or route strip 8, may be of anyr material found suitable. for the purpose, lsuch for example as cardboard or Celluloid, preferably the latter, and it bears, at one side of aroute line l0, printed upon its face'near one longitudinal margin, a list 1l of cities and tovvns constitutingr the itinerary of theroute which is to lbe followed in using'` the map. For a purpose to bc presently explained, the routefstrip 8 is provi ed with a slot 12 Which extends close to and parallel to the route line 10. The numeral 13 indicates a shaft journaled in suitable bearings 14 and 15 preferably mounted upon the bottom 2 ofthe casing, and the said shaft extends'longitudinally Within the casing adjacent one of the side Walls 3 thereof and has connected to one of its ends, namely the lower end, a flexible shaft 16 which is driven from oneoi' the Wheels of the automobile, car, or other vehicle or conveyance, it being understood that the device is capable of'employment on railways as Well ason automobiles. Worms 17 and 18 are fixed upon the shaft 13 at its other end and gears 19 and 2O are adapted to be brought selectively into mesh with the worms 1T and 1S. The numeral 21 indicates a bracket mounted within the casing and the numeral 22 indicates a rocking yoke which is pivotally mounted as at` 23 upon Ythe end of the bracket, theyoke having a lever arin 24 extending therefrom and through a slot 25 in one side wall of the casing, a finger piece 2T being fixed upon the outer end of the lever arm whereby it may be conveniently manipulated so as to rock the yoke, a dctent plate 28 being mounted uponthe said side wall ot' the casing at said slot 25 and having a raised intermediate portion 29 and depressed end portions 30 into which'the lever arm 24 may be selectively brought to rest, the arm being adapted to be held in a neutral position by frictional engagement with the more elevated intermediate edge portion 29 of the said plate.

rlhe gears 19 and 2() mesh with each other and they are mountedE respectively upon shafts 31 and 32 and upon these shafts there are mounted sprocket gears indicated by the numerals 33 and 34. The numeral 35 indicates an endless sprocket chain which is trained about one side of the sprocket gear 34 and thence about the other side of the sprocket gear 33 and at its upper portion about a sprocket gear 36 rotatably mounted in the upper end of the casing` At its lower portion, the sprocket chain is trained about a sprocket gear 37 fixed upon a shaft 38 journaled in the lower end of the casing, and there is likewise fixed upon this shaft a finger wheel 39 having a knurled periphery, the lower side of the finger wheel projecting through a slot 40 in the lower end wall 5 of the casing so that when the gears 19 and 20 are both out of mesh with their respective worms 17 and 18, the thumb may be run over the periphery of the linger wheel 39 so as to impart travel to the chain 35, this being done in resetting the mechanism.

The other stretch of the chain 35 runs between the gears 36 and 37 and parallel to the adjacent side wall of the casing and immediately beneath the slot 12 in the route strip 8, and connected to one of the links of this stretch ot' the chain is a supporting finger 41 which works in thc said slot 12 and which carries an indicating pointer 42 which is preferably of a distinctive color and of arrow shape and points to the list 11 of cities and towns.

From the foregoing description of the invention, it will be evident that when the device is installed and the Hexible shaft 16 is operatively geared with one of the wheels of the vehicle, the linger wheelV 39 havin been rotated so as to position the pointer 42 opposite the city the automobile is at that g indicating or town in which time located, the

lever 24 will be swung upwardly or downwardly, depending upon the direction in which the automobile is to be driven, so as to bring either the gear 19 or the gear 20 into mesh with the respective worm 17 or 18.

As the shaft 13 is rotated, motion will be imparted to the chain 35 with the result that the pointer 42 will ride along in the slot 12 to successively indicate the cities and towns through which the automobile is driven. If it is desiredto reset the device, it is only necessary to swing the lever 24 to position to bring both gears 19 and 20 out of mesh with their respective worms and then manipulate the finger wheel 39, and when the return trip is to be made, the lever 24 is shifted in the direction the opposite to that in which it was shifted in the first instance.

Having thus described the invention, what I claim is: Y

l. In an automatic road map, a casing, a route strip Vbearing an itinerary of the route carried by. the casing, an indicating pointer movable along the itinerary, spaced sprocket gears supportedin the ends of the casing, a, sprocket chain trained about the gears and supporting the said pointer at one of its stretches, a rotary shaft extended into the casing, worms carried thereby, a rocking support supported by the casing, worm gears mounted thereon for engagement selectively with the worms upon the said shaft, sprocket gears carried by the worm gears and over which the other stretch of the chain is trained, and means for rocking the said supporting member whereby to selectively engage either Vworm gear with its worm to change the course oftravel of the said sprocket chain.

2. In an automatic road map, a casing, a route strip bearing an itinerary of the route carried by the casing, an indicating pointer movable along the itinerary, spaced sprocket gears mounted in the casing, a sprocket chain trained about the gears and supporting the said pointer at one ot' its stretches parallel to the itinerary, a rotary shaft extended into the casing, worms carried thereby, a rocking support mounted in the casing, worm gears mounted thereon for engagement selectively' with the worms upon the said shaft, sprocket gears carried by the worm gears and over which the other stretch of the chain is trained, means for rocking the said supporting member whereby to selectively engage either worm gear with its worm to change the course of travel of the said sprocket chain, and a single wheel connected with one of the first-mentioned sprockets and constituting means for irnparting travel to the chain to reset the pointc r when the rocking member is in neutral position.

3. In an automatic road map, a casing, a. route sheet having an itinerary of the route carried by the casing, spaced sprocket gears points between the sprocket gears, means to journaled in the casing, a sprocket chain rock the support, and means for selectively tralned around the gears, an indicating driving the gears to cause the chain t0 travel 10 poxnter movable along the Itinerary, a roek- 1n opposlte dlrectlons.

5 lng support mounted ln the casing, gears In testimony whereofl alx my signature.

carried by the support for engagement with the opposite side of the sprocket cha-in at ANTONIO BLANCAFORT. [Ls] 

